A Good First Step
by Anette Chase
Summary: AU Oneshot. Ryou has to deal with the pressures of being different in high school. No couples.


Okay, this was inspired by a poem I read a while back, and also by the way people have been acting at my school. A lot of what Ryou is thinking is actually a mirror of my own thoughts at times, especially after the semester I've had to deal with. This takes place as if Domino City was in the United States. To be more exact, what Domino City would be like if it was my school, just a little bit...exaggerated. In this story, Ryou is in a very similar situation to what mine is right now, though not quite the same. Thankfully, it hasn't gotten as bad for me as it does for Ryou in this story, but it has been pretty bad.

In case no one read the above, or understood it, this is AU. VERY AU.

This story is for anyone who has been picked on for what they believe or what they are, whether it was by choice or not.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or either of the two quotes that appear in this story. Both quotes come from the Heralds or Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey.

Warning: This does have some religious content, but it's not really that much. If anyone goes psycho 'cause religion was brought into this, then whoever it is obviously didn't read this warning right here...

Notes:

_'Thinking or a hikari speaking to a yami'_

_/Yami to hikari /_

* * *

A Good First Step

_"A good deed done in the name of the Dark is still done for the Light, but an evil deed done in the name of the Light is still quite evil, and a soul can be condemned to darkness for it" _  
- Black-Robe Sun Priest Ulrich, Storm Warning.

Ryou lay back on his bed, eyes closed and arms spread out. _'Why does this have to happen to me? Why are people so...unaccepting?'_

Ryou had just gotten home from school, where he had been accused of 'hexing' someone.

_'Of course, I told them that I was just angry. I can't say it was Bakura going psycho...Besides, all he did was yell at her...'_

No one would have anything to do with Ryou now. Somehow, word had gotten out that he was a Wiccan, most likely through his ex-girlfriend Shizuka, and everyone at school began blaming him for everything that went wrong...not that that was any different from usual.

"Ryou! Why aren't my clothes washed!"

The white-haired hikari sighed. _'Dad's home.'_

"I just got home, Dad!"

"Well, get off your ass and get laundry going!"

Ryou said nothing, but got up and put a load of his father's clothing in the washer.

* * *

Yugi Mutoh watched as Ryou Bakura walked ahead of him, both of them on their way to school.

_/There's nothing to be scared of, Yugi. He's as normal as you and me./ _

'B-but he's not a Christian!'

/I'm not either. Have you forgotten that/

Yugi remained silent the rest of the way to school and vowed to keep an eye on Ryou.

* * *

Ryou sighed as many Bibles, crosses, and angels fell out of his locker.

_'Well, at least they're trying to 'help' me instead of just making fun of me...'_

He bent down to pick up the items and put them in the extra bag he'd brought just for that purpose, when he suddenly felt something wet hit him in the back. Ryou turned and saw Anzu Mazaki with an empty water bottle.

"What was that, Anzu?" Ryou asked softly.

"H-holy w-water!" Anzu squealed before running off.

_'Bakura, this has gone way too far.' _

/Believe it or not, I agree...Why are mortals so afraid of what they don't know/

'I wish I knew...I wish I knew...'

* * *

"Holy water doesn't affect him!" Anzu whispered loudly at lunch.

Shizuka snorted. "I told you it wouldn't."

Jou looked worriedly at his little sister. "Then what'll we do?"

"Leave him alone?" Yugi piped up. The other four people at the table ignored him.

"We've got to take more drastic measures," Honda said. "Who knows what he's capable of?"

_/Yugi, get away from these people. I don't want you to catch their stupidity./ _

'Yami!'

/Listen to them! They're planning on hurting Ryou just because he doesn't worship their One True God! Since when have you stood by that/

Yugi grimaced and silently agreed with Yami.

"I'll be back in a minute, guys."

No one paid any attention to him as he picked up his tray and left.

* * *

/_Watch out, Ryou. Here comes-- /_

"Ryou? Do you mind if I sit with you?"

Ryou looked up from his food to see Yugi standing, nervously, next to the table he was sitting at, alone.

"Where's the rest of your friends?" Ryou asked, suspicious of Yugi's motives.

"Being idiots. May I?"

Ryou nodded and Yugi sat next to him. "So why are you over here? Most everyone in this school hates me, it seems."

"They don't hate you, Ryou. They're scared witless of you."

_/You know that, hikari. / _

'Hush.'

"Why are you over here, then?"

"Because...because they're planning to do something to you. Something that'll probably hurt you. That's wrong, no matter the reason. Besides, no one tries to hurt the Buddhists or the Muslims. You're the only one that everyone's scared of."

"So...are you scared of me?"

"A little bit, yes. But, I think that's just because I've been around the others for too long."

The two boys ate in silence for a few moments.

"Hey, Yugi? You're a Christian, right?"

"Yeah."

"Doesn't the Bible say to love one another or something like that?"

"Yeah. And?"

"Then why are your friends being so hurtful towards me?"

Yugi looked thoughtful a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know. I've been trying to figure that out myself."

Ryou smiled slightly. "I think they're just so bound and determined that everyone should worship their god that they forget sometimes...They have good intentions, at least."

" 'The road to disasters is ordered by the righteous, planned by the well meaning, and paved with their good intentions.' Poor guys..." (1)

As Yugi laughed, Ryou tilted his head. "At least you don't get crosses and Bibles shoved into your locker! I have no use for them, so they're just taking up space under the bed. I love the angels, but-"

"You like angels?" Yugi gasped.

"I love them!" Ryou grinned. "I've even seen one before!"

"Really?"

"Well...I was little when it happened, and my dad thinks I was hallucinating, but yeah."

_'Anyone who's seen an angel can't be bad!'_

Yami merely chuckled.

"So why are you...the way you are?"

"Wiccan?" Yugi nodded. "Well, the idea of there being just one god was a bit...stifling. Besides, most of the Christians I've met have been really hypocritical." (2)

"What do you--?"

"Yuge! What're ya doin'?"

Jou, Honda, Anzu, and Shizuka were all staring open mouthed at Ryou and Yugi.

"Talking." Yugi replied, then leaned over and whispered in Ryou's ear, "Come with me after school."

Ryou nodded confusedly as Yugi got up and joined the other four.

_/Aren't you lucky? You don't have to go into the _other_ reason you're Wiccan. /_

Ryou blushed and made no reply to that comment. He simply got up and went to his next class.

* * *

_/Hypocrite.../ _

'Hey! That's not funny!'

/Well, who ever heard of a gay Christian? Well, at least around here/

'So? I refuse to act on it, so nyah!'

Inside his soulroom, Yami simply shook his head. _'Yugi can be so stubborn sometimes...'

* * *

_

"Ryou Bakura, where have you been?"

_'Uh-oh...'_

"I was over at a friend's house, Dad."

"Aren't you supposed to come straight home from school?"

"Yes."

"And did you?"

"No."

"Go to your room!"

Ryou went to his room and sighed as he shut the door. His conversation with Yugi had been very enlightening and he'd enjoyed the other boy's company very much...perhaps too much...

_'Don't do it again, Ryou. Don't fall in love with him. Remember what happened with Shizuka. Just don't do it!' _

/You do have pretty bad luck, don't you/

'Bakura, I'm going to hurt you one of these days...'

* * *

(The next day, after school...)

"You guys, no! you can't hurt him! He's not that bad, I've talked to him!"

Jou and Honda stared at their small friend.

"What do you mean, man?" Honda asked.

"He musta brain-washed Yuge..." Jou said sadly before putting the shorter teen in a locker.

"Guys? You can't do this! Guys!"

The locker door slammed shut.

* * *

Mai Kujaku, freshman English student-teacher, was about to leave campus when she heard something...banging around in a locker?

"Hello?" she called.

"Ms. Kujaku? Help me! I've got to stop them!"

"Yugi? Hold on."

She let him out of the locker. "What's going on, Yugi? Why were you in that locker?"

Yugi shook his head. "There's no time! Ryou's in danger!"

"Ryou? As in Ryou Bakura?"

Yugi nodded. "He's in real trouble, they're gonna kill him!"

"What! Who?"

"There's no time, Ms. Kujaku, no time! I've gotta get to the warehouse before they burn it!" Yugi ran out the door, and Mai followed, going to her car.

"Get in, Yugi!"

Yugi jumped in and told her how to get to the old abandoned warehouse. (3)

* * *

"Hello? Jounouchi? Honda? Where are you?"

_'They're not here...'_

Ryou turned when he heard someone chuckling evilly. "Hello?"

Jou stepped out and lit a match. "It ends here, evil demon." He threw the match into a box of paper and it lit up into a large flame.

Ryou shook his head. "Jou, all I have to do is walk out."

"Oh yeah? Not after we get done with you."

As Ryou was about to reply, he felt a hard blow to the back of his head and he blacked out.

"Call 9-1-1!" Yugi yelled as he ran into the burning building.

"Yugi!" Mai called, but she was unable to stop the short teen.

"Ryou?" Yugi yelled, trying not to inhale too much smoke. "Ryou? Where are you?" He looked all over, avoiding the flames, until he heard someone moaning.

_'Ryou?'_ He ran over to where he heard the noise and saw Ryou waking up...next to him was an unconscious form.

_'Jounouchi!'_

"Ryou, are you okay?"

Ryou snorted, then coughed, accidentally inhaling some of the smoke. "No thanks to him." He gestured at Jou. "C'mon, help me get him out of here."

Yugi stared at Ryou, but helped him nonetheless.

* * *

"Jou? Jou?"

Jou groggily got himself awake. "Huh? What 'appened?"

Ryou peered over at him from his bed. "You tried to kill me."

Jou slowly sat up and saw that he was in a hospital room along with Ryou and Yugi.

"If you cooperate with us, we won't turn you in." Yugi said, turning around in the chair he was sitting in next to Ryou's bed. "Get the others to lay off Ryou. You owe him your life, anyway."

Jou blinked. "What in da hell are you two talkin' about?"

Ryou's eyes narrowed. "You tried to burn a building down with me in it."

"Oh...Righ'...I forgot."

Ryou hit himself in the head. "You forgot...how lovely...and you people say I'm evil? At least I don't try to kill people and then forget about it!"

Yugi smiled grimly. "If Ryou hadn't insisted on bringing you with us, you'd be nothing but ashes right now."

Jou stared at Yugi. "You wouldn't have saved me?"

"Why should I?" Yugi said angrily. "You broke your word. You promised that you'd never bully again, and just what have you been doing since Shizuka and Ryou broke up? Bullying."

Jou bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Yuge. It's just Shizuka was so-"

"Obsessed with trying to get rid of me?" Ryou asked.

"Yeah. I kinda got caught up in everythin' and didn't think about whether or not it was wrong. 'Sides, it's a bit unnatural for there to be a non-Christian in this area."

Ryou glared at the ceiling. "There's nothing 'unnatural' about it. It's just the way I am, just as you guys being Christian is the way you are. I wouldn't change the way I am for anything, because I'm proud of the way I am. At least I know just who I am without following blindly like a sheep."

Jou looked confused, but Yugi nodded. "I think I know what you're talking about, Ryou. You've got to think about what you're doing, not just do it because everyone else is doing it, or really, don't worship one deity just because everyone else is."

The glare left Ryou's face as he stared at Yugi. "Yeah...Exactly. You have to find your own way, and don't let anyone else pressure you."

Jou shook his head. "You two lost me, but I think I'll jest pretend I understand. I promise I'll get th' others t' lay off."

"Thank you."

* * *

The next week, when Ryou and Jou both returned to school, Yugi, Anzu, Honda, and Shizuka were waiting for them.

Yugi and Anzu, who'd had nothing to do with planning the whole fire incident, both came up and hugged Ryou, trying to make him feel welcome. Honda looked a bit sheepish, because he'd been the one to come up with the idea, and because he'd left Jou when...something...had caused Jou to pass out as well. Of course, Shizuka was furious, but she stopped being mean/rude to Ryou...at least openly.

_/It's no good for you to tell them that I'm the one who hit Jou right before your body went out on me, is it/ _

'Of course not, Bakura. Just let them think it was a trick of the light. Besides, who ever heard of a spirit from ancient Egypt sharing a body with an American teenager?'

Bakura chuckled, and Ryou smiled. The first genuine smile he'd had since this whole mess began.

_'Now I've got friends, people might actually lay off of me. At least this is a good first step.'

* * *

_

(1) Other quote from the Heralds of Valdemar series. This one is a Shin'a'in proverb, and it pops up in Owlflight, if I remember correctly. (Then again, I don't own a copy of Owlflight and I won't be back at school for a couple of days...)

(2) Unfortunately, this is true for me. Most of the Christians I know are hypocrites, especially my ex-boyfriend. However, that being said, I have also met plenty of Christians who are pure in their beliefs, but the hypocrites far outnumber the decent ones. No offence was meant by this statement.

(3) Does Yugi make anyone else think of the rabbit off of Alice in Wonderland?

Okay, I know that this story was a bit out there, but I sincerely hope I haven't offended anyone. My school has gotten to where it is getting like that, and I'm seriously not happy about it... And, yes. I know. The names I used were the Japanese names, and yet this happens in America. I know! Bad authoress! Anyways, enough rambling. Please review!


End file.
